Gas washer for electrolytic apparatus



June 24, 1930. A. E..KNow| l'-:s v -1767292 GAS wAgHER Fon ELEcTnoLYTIc APPARATUS Filed oct. 15, 192e. s sheets-sheet 1 EEMMZE. by -v June 24, 1930. A. E. KNQwLEs @As WASHER PQR ELEcTRoLYTIc APPARATUS Filed ont. 15, 192e s sheets-sheet .2

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Patented June v24, i193() UNITE D f PA-TENT;*Querce j jf ALBERT, EDGAR KNowLEs, ou Hnswnnr., ENGLAND ens WASHER Fon ELEcTRonYTrc ArqeenA'rUs Application filed 'Octebcr 15,-1'.-3(-,=` Serial No. 141,777, and in Great Britain 0etober`19, 1925...

.This :invention relatesto means; for automatically controllingf .the level of the. liquid in electrolytic cells @and :for .washingzthe gasesevolved therein', andrefers fparftiouflarly ,fg `tomeans .f inwhichi Water, or .other fluidis .fed

into one or more=.chambers in whichegasor `gaseswevolvedifromithe cells are causedvto,

, bubble thronglr the fluid,A which then; 'passes l into a further chamber containing` a 1'float the uidbeing fed from the floatfchamber to the cells to maintain the level o-jche electrolyte therein.

vr v*The Vprincipal;objectr-ofpmy inventionisfv i n `on eachtank,.but this 1s merely .because the particular tanks illustrated were f intended 1 to ,provide Aimproved ,means for :bringing: the

feed Water .or other liquid; .and the :gases evolvedfromthe cells into such 'intimatefcon- :tactl that all` electrolyte present inthe, :gases ispremovedsandr the.` gases are` deli-veredrto Vpumps s Jor `gas-holders in a fdry and pure condition. i

Further `objectsbfrny invention .are toV fprovide detail yimprovements in the; appara- 25. .tus withl the .object .of increasing its all-round efficiency in; practice.

zMy invention comprises `an improvedzap- Y paratus of the type set forthformaintaining the liquidlevel in l electrolyticcellsand wash-V f "30.ing the gas or gases evolved therein, in which -gasfrom the cells; 'is caused-to pass down-` wardly through vert-icalftubes in theA washing chamber which have their lowerl ends immersedv below the surface ofthe liquid `"therein, and Althe Vgas. bubbles upwardly ,through a perforatedkplate on 1way^to the gas outlet, f

'To prevent anyundue pressure beinggen- 40 erated yin the washing chamber a blow-ofi `liquid seal is preferably provided Vonthe top of the chamber, thedepth oftheseal Figure 2; is a; sectional plan on: line, ofFig. 1.

Figure isia plan of asealchamberfwhioh vmay be employed Ion -each. tank.

Figure et is a detailuofgthecontrolivalve @1555 shown-in section. v

' Figure 5 is Aafperspectixve .fview of; a'fsuitable `formof bracket; for supporting the control valve.

In this arrangement,zV two tanks;a,*b,-are 1.5.60 employed for each feed :water unit, .and into these two: tanks the ,two gases-:set ff'ree. by thev decomposition-of. the water .are fled Vrespect'ively. `'The gas inletszto the;` tanks;v a,

'22, are marked c and-fcl,-and two are-shownrr forl -fwaslling the. `gases anda controlling "the make-up water for-twofgroupseorwrows ,of

cells. Insthiscasa'of theV two ygas collecting w70 wilLgotoone tank,yand the one containing oxygento the other tank. Therto'p..of each tank isshovvn as a= flangedbell, easily. re- H movable from the flanges e fof the Lmalinbody of thel tank. oAt; the top ofathe'main .body

of the tankiszsecured a tube platef, through .whichn a numben` of open-endedy tubes gf: depend, and below. this'tube plate,.preferably*'80 justI above, the lower ends .of :the: tubes g/,a second plate h is arranged.` AThis plateY .h may, be securedto the tubes g by. spot `weld- 1 i ing, or like operation,so that the entire nest of tubesy is. removable from the tankif de- 55 sired.' In any case, the-plate-h hasanumber of perforations 'through it in thevspac'es between the vapertures through fwhch'- the months vof the tubes pass. 2A gasV outletfc from each tankfis. provided-dn.. the middle* part between the tube. platesy 7 and h. The control, chambermv may. conveniently pbe; disposed between, and partlyhbelow, the two. washing. tanks disposedside by.: side; so Vthat' the connections .are as short. as possible. "95

"The liquid outlets :mfoafrom theltanksaa,

" b zto'the control' chamber m arearrangedzbetween the lower. mouths of. the Vtubes i g,

thev gas: passages hat a' height 4 abovesthe mouths ofthe tubes gddeterrnin'ed:ley-.asuit- "100 able liquid seal on the gas. If desired the and forthis purpose bolt holes l and notches outlets could be made adjustable to permit of regulation of the seal, but it is preferred to set them when the tanks are made.

Awater inlet p is led down into the space below'the perforated plate it in each tank, preferably being arranged through the side wall-opposite to the gas passage with a depending pipe inside the tank carried through the perforated plate.

Outside the tank a cup g receives'the clean water from the control valve r Figure 3, ctuated by the float s in the Control cham- Gas is led into the top of each washing tank@ and passes down the tubes g below the water level and bubbles rip-through Y to the gas passage lc 'in the side wall thereof.

It is thus washed very thoroughlyy by the feed water as a very intimate 'Contact between the gas and the water is ensured as the gas passes the perforated plate h. below the liquid level; 'The feed water is led to the valve '1' through pipe U above the control jtank m, and as the' valve'is opened by a fall of the float s, is introduced into Veach wash-4 Ving tank, ywhile the feed water and washed out electrolyte from the twortanks is ledout at n, o, and downinto the bottom portion of the control tank- '1n from which, at the level of the electrolyte in the cells, to the cells is arranged.'

Particular constructional `forms/of certain parts, notably the valve, a supporting bracket for the valve, anda blow olf seal a` feed outlet t for the tanks a, 7i which offer advantages'in use are illustrated in the drawings.-

As shown at Figure l the iloat valve 1 comprises a face .valve u for closingan aper- Y ture in a removable disc v screwed into the opening of a flanged union member w.

Upon a lower shoulder of the valve spindle is a hollow piston valve with ports in its walls opposite the branches y leadingvtoV j the cups 'g seen in Figure 1. rThe face'valve places the valve .chamber in communication 4 with, or obturates', the passage from a source of supply such as the pipe U, and the piston valve ensures anequal'flow from the valve chamber to the branchesg/ and cups g.

A bracket for supporting the valve `is shown in Figure 5, which can readily be' berm, and the forked part 8 ofthe bracket embraces the valve body 1' below the flanged part w. The valve can then be secured to the bracket by the saine bolts asv serve for connecting the supplyr pipe to the flange w,

5 are formed in the bracket 3. The side flanges 2 are stiifeners for the bracket, and may be Vwelded at the top edge to the forked part 8; they are notched as at 6 to pass the side branches y of the valve body. 7 is an aperture for a knuckle mounting of the lever 8, Figure 2,*on which the valve spindle is mounted and from the remote end of which depends the float s.

The particular blow off seal for the gas provided on the top of the tanks a and b comprises a standpipe 9 around which is secured a liquid vessel 10 in which a bell 11 over the stand pipe is sealed. Screw pins 12are secured in lugs 13, Figure 8, projecting from the topof the bell, andare passed through eyes lll welded on the liquid vessel. By releasing one of the nuts 15 which are threaded on the-bolts above and below the eye and screwing the other nut against the y fixed eye, the .boltf is traversed, and, -by adjusting all the' bolts in this manner, the bell 11 is raised or lowered to vary the head of liquid seal between the lower edge of thefbell and the liquid overflow 16 in the liquid vessel 10..A

:5I claim: l 1. Means for washing the gas evolvedl from aii-electrolyticv cell'and containing elec- 'trolyte in suspension, comprising 'a closed ber, tubes connecting said plates, a gas inlet leading into said removable upper part,

perforations in the lower tube. plate `between the tubes, Aand a gas outlet from the chamber between the tube plates. y e

2. Means fory washing the gas evolved :from an electrolytic cell and containingAv electrolyte in suspension, comprising a closed liquid-containing chamber, automatic valvecontrolled means for feeding liquid into the chamber, automatic' overflow means for withdrawing` liquid from the chamber to ,maintain a constant head therein, a removable upper part to said chamber, two spaced tube plates arranged transversely in said chamber, tubesconnecting said plates, a gas', inlet leading 'into said removable upper` part, perforations in the lower tube plate between the tubes, and a gasA outlet from the chamber between the tube plates, the

said tubes and tube' plates' being secured t0-` gether to form a single Vassembly which is" bodily removable from the chamber.

3. Means for washing the ygas evolved from an `electrolytic cell and containing electrolyte inv suspension, comprising a closed liquid-containing chamber, automatic-` Valve-controlled means for feeding liquid into the chamber, automatic overflow means for withdrawing liquid Jfrom the chamber to maintain a constant head therein, a removable upper part to said chamber, a blow off liquid gas seal on said part, means for adjusting the effective head of liquid in the seal, two spaced tube plates arranged transversely in said chamber, tubes connecting said plates, a gas inlet leading into said removable' upper part, perforations in the lower tube plate between the tubes, and a gas outlet from the chamber between the tube plates.

ture.

ALBERT EDGAR KNOVV'LES.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signa- 

